Improvement in machines for slitting matches



3 Sheets--Sheet i M. SMITH & J. C. JORDAN. Improvement in Machines for Slitting Match Cards Patented April 2,1872.

3 Sheets--Sheet Z. M. SMITH & J. C. JORDAN. improvement in Machines for Slitting Match Cards. No 125 149 Patented AprH2,l872.

Witnesses: nrenfars whens-sheets. M. SMITH & J. (3.. JORDAN;

Improvement in Machines for Slittjng Match Cards.

N0. 125,149. Patented Apri1 2,1872.

'rniv'r MANASSFH SMITH AND JAMES O. ORDAN, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENTIN MACHINES FOR sum-me MATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,149, dated April 2, 1872.

To whom 1t may concern:

Be it known that we, MANAssEHSMITH and JAMES 0. JORDAN, both of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Machine for SlittingMatch-Oards'; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which ismade a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1, is a side elevation. Fig. 2, Plate 1, is a sectional longitudinal elevation of the devices that operate the knives. Fig. 1, Plate 2, is an end elevation. Fig. 2, Plate 2, is an elevation of the opposite end from Fig. 1. Fig. 3, Plate 2, is a view of the rack. Fig. 4, Plate 2, is a section on w w of Fig. 1. Fig. 1, Plate 3, is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2, Plate 3, is a front end view of the hopper.

Our invention consists of a combination of devices for so slitting match-cards that the card shall be divided into matches for nearly the entire length of said card, but for a small space near the butt of the card or matches there shall be left a portion which is not slit, which said portion is intended to hold the matches together in the form of a card until desired to be broken off for use. Our machine effects this operation automatically. The slitters or devices by which the cutting is effected, or the division of a card into matches is produced, receives the cards upon their edges, upon which it is pushed by a plunger until the knives or slitters have traversed nearly the length of the card, at which time the knives or slitters are made to drop below the face of the bed or plate upon which the card is placed when pressed upon the knives, and so leaves a portion of the card uncut or unslit;

The devices by which the cards are impelled onto the knives or slitters, and those by which the knives are withdrawn at the proper moment, are operated by the revolution of the same shaft. to shows the shaft. On one end of this is set the crank 12, to which is pivoted the connectingrod 0, operating the upright pivoted arm 01, to which are connected the horizontal arms e and f. The arm 6 is pivoted to the rear end of the reciprocating carriage g, which carries the feed-plate i. This carriage slides on the bed It as it is impelled by the roeach forward motion of the carriage g the feed-- plate 41 presses forward the bottom card in the hopper ontothe knives, and at each reversed motion of the carriage g, and after the feedplate 7; is drawn back entirely out of the bottom of the hopper 7', the next card in order above, drops into the place from which the feed-plate had just previously forced the one below it. WVe neither claim these devices, nor their abovefdescribed operation. Neither do we claim the stationary knives for slitting the cards. Upon the shaft a. is rigidly set the cam or eccentric 70, with a path of the desired form to produce the necessary motion of the curved arm I, rigidly set upon the shaft m, and having a stud or finger to play in the path of the cam la. Upon the shaft m is also fixed the arm n, to the upper end of which is pivoted the horizon tal arm 0. This arm operates the toggle-joint 19. One arm of this joint is immovably pivoted to the frame of the machine. Upon the end of the other arm of this toggle-joint is affixed the plate or block to which the knives or slitters are fastened, so that as the toggle p is straightened the knives are raised and pushed upward, and as it is crooked the same are drawn downward. When the stud or finger of the curved arm I is in that portion of which draws downward the knives (1 below the surface of the plate upon which the card lies, and this portion of the path of the cam 70 retains the knives below the surface of the plate, upon which the card lies until such time as the feed-plate i: has pressed the slit card forward into certain devices prepared for its reception, (not herein claimed and until the feed-plate is drawn backward by the carriage g, preparatory to presenting another unslit card to the knives.

The operations are effected by the cam la, curved arm 1, arm n, arm 0, and toggle p, as

follows: hen the arm I is slightly raised, by the form or shape of the cam is, it slightly rotates the shaft m, to which it is attached. This motion moves forward slightly the arm n, which, pressing forward the arm 0, straightens the toggle p, and so pushes up above the upper surface of the plate, upon which the card rests, the knives q. This takes place while the feed-plate i is making its backward movement, and is there held while it is making its forward movement, until such time as the knives have traversed nearly the length of the card, when the stud or finger of the curved arm 6 dropping into the otherpart of the path of the earn 7:, the shaft m is slightly rotated in the other direction, thearnis-n and 0 drawn back thereby, the togglep crooked, and the knives drawn down. lt will be understood that the knives, except as to the slight upward and downward motion, are fixed, and that the cards, as before described, are moved onto them.

Our invention further consists of a device for leveling the cards preparatory to dipping, and for fastening them in the racks before being removed from the machine where the slit ting is done. As fast as the racks are filled with the cards the rack is slowly fed or pushed down, by the operation of the plungers r 1', until the rack is filled. \Ve neither claim the rack, the plungers, nor the operation of filling and feeding down the rack. As the rack descends below the level of the table, upon which the card lies, it passes into a box or compartment, formed on three sides by the frame of the machine and a back-plate, and on thefront and remaining side by adoor, the operation and peculiar structure ofwhich, together with the groove or recess in the back plate forms the subject of the second part of our invention. The inner face of the door S is formed into a groove, 8, asillustra-ted in the drawing, Fig. 4. This, in connection with the groove 8 on the face of the back-plate S, constitutes the guides for the cards as the rack descends. By this means, when the door S is closed the ends of the cards are forced into a perfectly even and regular position relative to each other, so that the points shall, to the same extent, project through the rack in proper position for dippin Upon the outer face of the door S is seen vertical toothed rack f, sliding in grooves or guides on the said door. Upon the upper end ofthe rack t is pivoted a clamp, u. The rack is raised or lowered by the shaft and gearv. The card-rack shown in the drawing at w is furnished at the upper end with a top piece, .00, supported by two notched rods, 1 2, passing through holes in the top of the frame of the rack. \Vhen the rack is filled with cards, the clamp to is then thrown over the top of the top piece 1:. By then revolving the shaft and gear a, the clamp u is drawn down so as to force downward said top piece as, so as to press tightly together the cards held between the slats of the card-rack w. The top piece as is so constructed that when forced down by the clamp to it will be there held by the catch 3 until released by the operator. Thus, when forced down by the clamp u, the match-cards are held compressed by the top piece or follower a: in the rack with sulficient firmness for dipping and handlin The clamp is then raised, the dooropened, and the rack removed. The lower part of the rack, when this operation is going on, rests on alip-pin or projection, 3 on the lower part of the inner face of the door, or on the back-plate. As before specified, the cards while being slit rest upon a plate, and this plate ofcourse has slots, through which the knives penetrate when they are raised. This is likely to become covered with the dust andfilaments of wood from the cards and the slitting thereof. This settling upon the knife-plate prevents the proper rising of the knives through the slotted plate. To prevent this accumulation of wood dust we either direct a current of air upon the said bed-plate, or else scrape the spaces between the said knives, at each operation, by a set of fingers. Both the air current and the lingers are operated by the movement of the carriage.

Itis obvious that a variety of equivalent methods may be employed for dropping the knives below the face of the bed-plate at any required moment during the operation of slitting the cards, or the card itself may be dropped or raised, and the knife remain stationary; or theknives may be placed above the card and raised instead of lowered; or a revolving knife, constitntin g a portion ofa periphery ot'a circle, may be used, the said knives to be rotated by power derived from the machine, or by the passage of the card over them. Either single or double sets of rotary knives may also be used to perform the slitting operation, and

when the cutting-edge extends the entire pe riphery of the circle the rotary knives can then be withdrawn in any of the ways herein specitied.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The knives g, by which the slit is made in the card, combined with toggle-joint p, levers 0 at, and cam k, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the toothed rack' t, clamp a, shaft and gear a, top piece or follower a, with the door, card-rack, and back piece, sub stantial] y as herein described.

MANASSEH SMITH.

. JAMES 0. JORDAN.

Witnesses 1). W. SCRIBNER, WILLIAM HENRY CLIFFORD. 

